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Best Season Finales Ever  
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Tags: season finale, best, show, TV, last, show, episode, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Newhart, Six Feet Under, cliffhangers, lost, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS

Friends, M*A*S*H, Wonder Years, Cheers, Simpsons, Seinfeld, ______? These are the best season finales for a TV series of all time. Is your favorite listed?

	Friends "The One with Ross's Wedding" (1998) It's not really fashionable to admit to having once liked this show, but it had its moments, and its fans. And those fans were aghast when Ross said the wrong name at the altar. I was, uh, busy doing guy stuff, so I have no idea.
	Six Feet Under Episode Aired: August 21, 2005 Yes, the show was depressing. In fact, it often brought tears to my eyes -- a lot of them. And even though the show ended with a semi-cheesy, but sort of cool look at how each of the main characters bites it, it was a great way to put a satisfying spin on that moment that we all fear the most.
	Newhart Episode Aired: May 21, 1990 After Dick gets beaned by a golf ball, he wakes up next to former TV wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette from "The Bob Newhart Show") and realizes his life as an innkeeper in Vermont was all a dream/nightmare. It was a great way to give the finger to "Dallas," who recently tried to pull that fast one unsuccessfully, and was twice as funny while doing it. Oh -- and we also got to hear the brothers Daryl speak for the first and last time.
	M*A*S*H Episode Aired: February 28, 1983 Sure, the ending was a bit hokey. Even the title "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" was just a condensed way of saying "get out the tissues unless you are a heartless bastard." Let's face it though: if you were away at war and the whole thing was declared over, like you wouldn't cry like a baby?
	The Wonder Years Episode Aired: May 12, 1993 The show ends with that Daniel Stern voice-over that helped make the show what is was, informing us that the Dad died not too much later, Mom goes on to become a big-wig in business, brother Wayne went into the family business, sister Karen has a baby, and Kevin keeps up with Winnie even after all of her years studying in France. In fact, he was there to meet her upon her return, with his wife and new son.
	The Larry Sanders Show Episode Aired: May 31, 1998 Larry is preparing to bid farewell, because he's being replaced by a much younger, cooler Jon Stewart. Hey now! The hitch is that he wants to go out like Carson, with a star-studded sendoff. Highlights include another extremely funny appearance by David Duchovny. And, of course, how one minute Jim Carrey sings a sappy musical message to Larry, only to ream him out during the commercial break. The whole thing is a parade of cameos, but because the writing is so great, it doesn't take away from this classic comedy's swansong.
	The Mary Tyler Moore Show Episode Aired: March 19, 1977 As the group amasses for the big touching group hug, a need for Kleenex creates one of the funniest moments in TV finale history. The words "all for one" never had such greater meaning, as the group sings "It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary" on their way out. Made me laugh, cry, and more importantly -- made me remember why this show is such a classic.
	The Howdy Doody Show Air date: September 24, 1960 To set the scene for proper emotional impact, you first need to be aware that, since the very beginning of “The Howdy Doody” show, one of its constants had been that the character of Clarabell the Clown didn’t speak. During the final episode, Clarabell ran from person to person, trying to get them to read the note that he had, but everyone was in the middle of something. As the show neared its conclusion, host Buffalo Bob finally read the note
	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Air date: May 21, 1992 The final proper episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” was his second-to-last (the actual final episode was mostly a clip show), and it had just two guests: Robin Williams and Bette Midler. Williams’ nonstop manic pace had Carson in near-hysterics for the entire hour, and it remains one of the best appearances by a celebrity in talk show history. Midler’s performance of “Wind Beneath My Wings” came dangerously close to appearing oversentimental, but the real tears of Carson and Midler as the song came to a close made the eyes of even the most jaded, cynical bastard out there get a little misty. If this episode wasn’t enough to make you realize that you were going to miss Carson…well, the subsequent 14 years of Leno have probably done the trick.
	Dallas "A House Divided" (1980) J. R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), the show's Machiavellian villain, was shot, and his assailant was not revealed until the following autumn. This is now referred to as the "Who Shot J. R.?" episode, and popularized the "cliffhanger" format for TV season finales. Turns out it was Sue Ellen's sister who pulled the trigger.
	The Simpsons "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" (1995) Mr. Burns bankrupts the elementary school and erects a sun-blocker to force the town into perpetual darkness. After a town meeting, at which many residents happen to be armed, Burns is shot and – wouldn't ya know it? – fans had to wait until September to find out it was Maggie. The solution to the mystery was buried in the episode, and those who watched it closely enough could have entered a contest, the winner of which has yet to claim his prize.
	Quantum Leap Air date: May 4, 1993 Sam Beckett, the time traveler who “leaps” into other people’s bodies in order to right wrongs, seemingly leaps into himself and wanders into a strange bar where everyone is oddly similar to people Sam previously leaped into. Oh, right, and the bartender just might be God. The episode wasn’t initially intended to be a series finale, but changes made in the editing room somehow allowed the series to go out on a high note, even if it really didn’t answer any of the lingering questions from the Quantum Leap experiment. Maybe that’s because there weren’t any answers to give…?
	Cheers Air date: May 20, 1993 The final episode begins with the gang at Cheers watching an awards show when they see Diane (Shelly Long) receiving an award for writing a TV miniseries. Seeing his old flame again (Long had left the show at the end of its fifth season) spurs Sam to get back in contact with her; when Diane reveals that she’s now married with children, Sam – never one to allow himself to be one-upped – claims the same. Sam ends the conversation with an offhanded suggestion that Diane bring her husband and kids by the bar the next time she’s in Boston…so, of course, Diane proceeds to show up the very next day, forcing Sam to enlist Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) to pretend to be his wife. Only Diane’s lying too, and by episode’s end, it looks like the couple is going to spend the rest of their lives together, but at the last moment, Sam realizes that he already has his one true love: Cheers.
	Seinfeld Air date: May 14, 1998 Yes, the finale was hyped to no end – maybe more so than any sitcom in history – but it was great for more than one reason. First of all, there were a few minutes during which their private plane was going down when they started spewing confessions to each other, and one of those was George admitting that he cheated on “The Contest.” When the plane straightened out, the four found themselves in a small town, witnessing the crime and demonstrating just how insensitive their characters were by joking about it, a tendency which had always been a central premise of the series. Then they brought back a series of familiar faces to testify against the foursome in court. It was like Larry David and Seinfeld were summing the whole series up in one episode…and, in the end, the main characters finally paid their karmic debt.
	Arrested Development Air date: February 10, 2006 Aptly titled “Development Arrested,” the episode found the Bluth family back where it all started: on a yacht, celebrating the induction of Michael as the company’s new CEO. Of course, the boat trip wasn’t the only case of deja vu from the pilot episode. Michael has a father-son discussion with George Michael about what the most important thing is (except this time he is talking about breakfast), Lucille is arrested in place of George Sr., and, instead of staying around to help, Michael leaves the family for a much-needed vacation in Cabo.

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